Oubliette
by Kathryn0505
Summary: Spoilers for Journey's End the finale . Donna remembers. I know it's been done a lot, but I loved Donna and I can't resist. Reviews are always appreciated.
1. Remembrance

A/N: I loved Donna, and quite frankly it sucks what happened in JE (FINALE SPOILERS, PEOPLE). So I'm gonna fix it.

In the end, it doesn't take much to spark her memory. She's walking down the street, and in a shop window is a brown suit, nearly identical to the one the Doctor would wear. And in that moment, it all comes flooding back.

She remembers Agatha Christie, and avoiding shadows in the greatest library in the universe. She remembers the pain of hearing the song of the imprisoned Ood, and the joy of finally releasing them from that prison. It makes her proud to remember saving the universe.

And with the knowledge of saving the universe comes the knowledge that this remembering should be killing her, but for some reason her head hasn't exploded or whatever was supposed to happen. She no longer has the Doctor's cleverness, and she definitely cannot explain why she is still alive. All she knows is that she's grateful, upset that she was left behind, and something else she can't quite identify.

Whatever that something is, it plagues her for days. It stops her from telling her mum and grandpa that she remembers anything at all, even though it drives her crazy when she finally notices how differently they treat her now.

She would contact the Doctor, but that unidentifiable something keeps her from tracking Sarah Jane or Martha down for the number of the TARDIS. She goes two weeks before what's bothering her finally hits her in the face.

The problem is she is so incredibly angry with the Doctor that she thinks she would choke his skinny little Martian body until he passed out. It surprises her at first that it took her two entire weeks to realize that she is mad at him, but she supposes that she was a bit preoccupied with feeling left behind. Left behind and forgotten, after she told him forever.

But "No" meant "No" dammit, and she cannot believe that, after everything they had been through, he had decided to take away the part of her that made her finally feel like she was worth something, more than just the temp from Chiswick that no one really cared about.

Hell, even her mother told her nearly every day that she was a disappointment. A waste. And it's not like she disagreed. Every day she thought of how much she wasted her life, of how much she hated herself for being how she was. Her mother was just icing on the cake.

The Doctor sent her back to that. To that self-hatred, to the despair of waking up every day and hating her life because there was nothing worthwhile in it. He had given her the universe, but above all he had given her a feeling of self-worth that she doesn't think she ever could have achieved by herself, despite his insistence of her potential. Not only did he leave her behind, he sent her to hate herself after he taught her to be better.

More than that, he did it knowing that she didn't want it. She had known that death was the alternative, and yet she still had not wanted him to take it all away.

With anger growing inside of her, she decided she was going to tell that alien mind-rapist just what she thought of the whole situation.


	2. Reuniting

A/N: So I couldn't figure out what to write, but I just watched JE again and am going to try. Hope you like it.

Turns out it doesn't take very long to contact the Doctor when you really put your mind to it. A quick call to Martha and a phone number exchange later gave Donna the number to the TARDIS.

Needless to say the Doctor was surprised to hear her voice. Apparently he expected to never hear from her again- 'Fat chance of that, space git!'- and he sounded a bit shocked.

She supposes that's why he's now stood across from her staring at her like she just grew an extra head.

"Donna?" He manages. Really, this is astounding. It's Donna, looking very much alive (always a good thing). But how? It was supposed to be impossible. But then again, he always has liked, and seemed to defy, the impossible, as have the people around him.

"Well, don't just stand there with your mouth open! I better hear some explaining!" she retorts. "I'm shopping and then all of a sudden I'm hit with memories of all the things you took away- without my permission, mind you! - and then I realize you just left me behind. I told you "no"! Who are you to go around taking people's memories away like that?! What were you thinking?! Next time you hear "no" you better listen to me, Spaceman, because if you don't I swear that it'll be- OOF!"

"It's great to see you, Donna Noble," he says as his arms come around her so tightly her words (and air supply) are cut off.

He's off of her in another second, the sonic screwdriver in her face temporarily delaying the torrent of words that is threatening to unleash. "Well, you seem perfectly fine." He shines it in her eyes. "No traces of Time Lord left, and you're still perfectly you. Perfectly, brilliant you! That's fantastic! How have you been? What have you been doing?!"

"Oi! You mind-rape me and leave me on Earth and now everything's just peachy?" Donna snaps. "I can't believe it! What on Earth made you think I would be fine with that?!"

He pauses for a second. Thinks. For a split second his eyes darken, and he goes to that place where she knows he sometimes lives. "You were going to die otherwise, Donna. I couldn't let that happen." And then his eyes lighten, and he's back to his normal, mind-of-a-five-year-old, hyper self. "But you're back now!" He rocks back and forth on his heels. "So what do you say, Donna Noble. Want to come with me again?"

While Donna's suddenly the picture of calm, her thoughts are spinning wildly out of control. 'The infuriating git! How does he just move on like that? I haven't seen him in who knows how long, and I'm so angry at him I could squeeze his skinny little neck until his eyes pop out, and he gives me one hug and then it's sunshine and daisies and all Well let's swan off, what do you say?'

'He always does this! Like with Pompeii! Took him 'bout two minutes after we rescued that family for him to snap back to his happy-go-lucky, ANNOYING self. I had nightmares for days! Pompous arse! He always does this!'

'Oh! OH! He asks me how I am, but he doesn't want to know. Not really. He wants me to smile and say Yes! and go along with it. He doesn't ever stop to think. He never will.'

With that, a new, frightening thought appears. 'Can I do that again? Push everything to the back of my mind for the next adventure?' She's acutely aware of him glancing at her, awaiting her answer with his normal nonchalance. 'He left me, and yeah, I was going to die, but it was MY choice. He took that from me. Thought we were closer than that.'

Realizing her answer, she counters with a question of her own. "Do you remember, my wedding day, when we went back to see the earth form around the Racnos?" At his silent affirmation, she continues. "Even in the middle of all that was going on, you still wanted to stop and see its beauty. The universe is a big place… and there's still more to see, right?"

She gives him a smile, which he immediately returns. "Absolutely, Donna Noble. Where shall we go?" With that recognition of her decision, he runs (prances, more like, he can be just a touch girly at times) over to the controls and starts throwing all sorts of switches and levers she, for a brief time, knew how to work.

The turn of conversation makes her head spin, and it's just like old times; him, always ready to run headlong into their next adventure, and her, always struggling to keep up. But she has to try, even if that means swallowing some of her emotions, for there is so much in the universe left for her to see.

A/N: Okay, that's not how I thought it would turn out. But, I'm going to add more chapters to this, and maybe an adventure. They'll talk it over eventually, but not yet. Oh, and this is my first fic with Donna, so I'm still feeling her out. Please tell me how I'm doing. hint hint


End file.
